This vigorous swan, immortalized around 1650 by Jan Asselijn, was the first acquisition of the (direct predecessor of the) Rijksmuseum. The picture of the furious animal, defending her nest against the approaching dog in the water, comes across as a dramatic scene from nature. Taking a closer view, one can read the inscription DE RAAD-PENSIONARIE (the Grand Pensionary) under the swan, as well as HOLLAND on one of the Swan’s eggs and DE VIAND VAN DE STAAT (the enemy of the State) above the dog.
Therefore, Asselijn’s painting was understood as an allusion to the difficult position of the famous Dutch statesman Johan de Witt (1625-1672). He was responsible for the foreign policy and the commercial interests of Holland, the (then) dominating province in the Netherlands. To protect the latter he constantly strove for peace, especially with permanent competitor and enemy England. When the painting was bought in 1800, it was thus interpreted as a political allegory. De Witt (whose family symbol was in fact a swan) defends his dearest (Holland) against the approaching enemy of the State, the English dog. The Rijksmuseum had a primarily nationalistic standpoint in those days, so Asselijn’s painting was perfectly suited for the recently started collection.
One day, somebody realized that Asselijn could have impossibly destined his painting for this propagandistic message, for the simple reason that he died in 1652, one year before De Witt would even start his career. Research soon revealed that the inscriptions were indeed added later, but by whom remains a mystery.
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